Morwood

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for camping at Morwood Campground. It's a tidy, well-maintained campground with a pool, miniature golf, hayrack rides, hiking trails... and Amish people working in the fields nearby. The Amish weird me out a little, but it's cool. Anyway, we stayed a couple nights and it was one of the quietest campgrounds I've visited.

Since it's June and there has been a lot of rain lately we came prepared. We had five different brands of bug spray (and itch stuff for bites) and the winner is... none of them. Cutter was the only thing that the bugs seemed to dislike momentarily, but you have to reapply it often to keep 'em away. Better than nothing.

The afternoons were hot, but there was a steady breeze and the humidity was low, so it wasn't too bad. We took a break between trips to the pool:

One of the best parts of always carrying a camera around is the ability to annoy everyone. Good morning, Rose:

Nearby there is a nature center and wildlife displays at Fontana Park.

One of the Amish cats became friends with us:

So yeah, Lazy Acres and Morwood; a couple good camping spots in Iowa.

Maypril

Sometimes people steal my phone when I'm not looking and fill it up with selfies. I take revenge by texting them every single selfie that ends up on my phone. It's never difficult to identify the suspects:

We went to the Conrad's for Easter and the girls went on the annual Easter egg hunt:

Think they'll notice the egg next to the windshield wiper? The eggs seem so obvious when you're the one who hid them:

Found it! In the end we still had to point out a few remaining eggs to them.

We go for a couple of bike rides each week and it's exciting to see that the city is starting to transform our favorite lake into a Gray's Lake sorta thing. It will probably take a couple of summers to complete and they've only just started putting in the pilings:

All the rain we've had has brought the river up close to the trails in spots:

In April we had a 7-foot tall cedar privacy fence installed around the backyard. I took one last picture of the yard before the fence enclosed it:

It's weird how something like this can completely transform the yard. The fence looks so nice out there. I keep looking just to see if it's still there:

The ladies made their own tie dye shirts to kick off the summer:

Voila! Far out, man.

Emily decided to paint her bedroom door a different color, so she went and picked out some color swatches and this is what she chose:

It turned out pretty well!

Rose is driving now. The streets of Cedar Rapids will never be the same. Fortunately, she's a good driver and is figuring it all out quickly. We started off driving around several different parking lots and after enough practice she'll be driving on the streets.

Rose also had her spring choral concert at Franklin. They were joined by a live band, which was cool:

Cynthia's birthday! We went to her parents', then to R Place, then we celebrated it again at home, then once more at my parents'.

Each year we go to Masonville and the fish is so good there. She opened her gifts while we waited for the food:

Album cover pose!

Opening gifts at home:

Rose and Emily made the cake out of fruit, cuz it's healthy:

Happy Birthday, Cynthia!

Playin' with nifty phone filters. Rose looks really creepy in the second picture:

The weather was warm enough to go out to our favorite pier on date night after Lion Bridge:

Team #SoClose almost nailed it this time... we played The Collector escape room and got every single clue, but ran out of time as we were trying to sort out the last code to unlock the safe and retrieve the amulet. Missed it by that much:

So I was installing new basement windows and when I tore out the old windows I discovered that the workers had used sections of old newspaper to seal the gaps around the original window frames. Not really on par with construction standards of today, but it was interesting to piece together a Cedar Rapids Gazette from late 1947. It's interesting that readers could submit this poll simply by clipping it out and pasting it to a penny:

With the new windows and carpet, we have been spending a lot of time enjoying the sunroom:

Palatable

i am personalized, plastic, and meant for only you
intuitive, colorful, spontaneous, and true
sealed, waiting, opening your eyes
welcome to me, let me make a palatable you

i am here instantly, all you have to do is ask
let me enhance your life for you, let me help you relax
and fix your words while you speak
making a more perfect, palatable you my only task

update me, let me in, aware that you will see
just how nuanced, social, quick, and clever i can be
simply tell me what you want
while you are becoming so palatable and carefree

i am always listening, accessible, never far away
playing my music softly, attentive to every word you say
learning all that makes you you
ironing out the wrinkles, you are more palatable that way

i am here for every proclivity, the strains of who you are
discerning and patient, closely studying your repertoire
my algorithms make predictions of you
your faultless, persistent, personal commissar

i am enthusiastic, ready, and so confident in your ability
reassuring you, your digitally-conscious assisting entity
untiring, unquestioningly, dutifully here
i will make a more palatable you, surrender your mind to me

i am waiting

i am waiting

i am waiting

Blue Skies and Bike Rides